Advertising sign device



March l0, 1959 H. B. GOODEN ADVERTISING SIGN DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet lFiled March 12, 1956 I/@ IMS INVENTOR.

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ADVERTISING SIGN DEVICE Herbert B. Gooden, Waycross, Ga.

Application March 12, 1956, Serial No. 570,752

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-32) This invention relates to signs and devices foradvertising and the like, and particularly to what I choose to term anadvertising sign device.

The main object of my invention is to provide an advertising means whichby illumination and motion serves to call attention to certain wares onsale in a store or market place.

An ancillary object of this invention is to have an advertising deviceprovided with ilexible bands or strips of suiiicient width to carrythereon painted or printed notices of commodities on sale and pricestherefor, the bands being arranged in a series simultaneously in Viewfor window shoppers to invite them in to buy.

Another object of the invention is to have such flexible advertisingbands or strips illuminated and constantly in motion in endless rotationto call attention and vary the showing of titles.

A further object of the invention is also to have the various bands orstrips adjustable individually for smooth running operation.

It is likewise an object of the invention to arrange a series ofadvertising strips or bands behind individual windows and all of thelatter formed into a frame o-r casing which may serve as a store frontor t-he like, while mechanical means are concealed within forsimultaneously operating all of the bands in said casing or frame.

It is also an object, to have such an advertising device wherein a motordrive operates through a reducing device to rotate rollers upon whichthe flexible bands or strips travel, the drive and the illumination ofthe strips being electrical in kind.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greaterdetail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for aproper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention isillustrated on the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and inwhich:

Figure l is a perspective view of anadvertising sign device madeaccording to my invention and embodying the sarne in a practical formand shown occupying a store front;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the device as taken on line 2-2in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspectiveview of an advertising band orstrip forming part of the invention;

Figure 4 is another vertical cross section diiferent than in Figure 2,but taken on line 4 4 in Figure l;

Figure 5 is another section as taken on line 5 5 in Figure 2illustrating the driving mechanism of the device;

Figure 6 is a further section as taken on line 6-6 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is also a section as taken on line 7-7 in said Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is still another section as taken on line 8-8 in the sameFigure 5.

States arent icc Throughout the views, the same reference numeralsindicate the same or like parts and features.

In the merchandising iield, especially in stores, markets and the like,it is always important to call the attention of the public to the wareson sale, especially to attract attention to low prices. Many expedientshave, of course been resorted to through the years, and signs of allkinds and sizes have been used, with and without illumination. However,there is still a great need of some form of eifective advertising signor device that has capacity for showing a satisfactory amount ofarticles or listing of wares with prices or other features, and also forattracting attention in an active manner. Upon considering this problem,it has occurred to me that a special sign or device should have movablemeans for showing a list or series of showings of articles on sale inilluminated form to. render the sign as attractive as possible toattract attention. As a result of such consideration, I have succeededin producing an advertising sign device along the lines alreadyindicated, as will now be set forth in detail in the following, duereference being had to the drawings heretofore but briefly alluded to.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, a frame or casing, generallyindicated at 9 primarily includes the front frame or wall 10 having aseries of upright frame members 11 spaced apart to provide windows 12between each pair of such members. At the ends are fixed the end walls13, 14 spaced a relatively greater distance from the last uprightmembers 11 and the resulting longer openings are closed by panels 15,16, while a bottom 17 and top 18 are also affixed to and form parts ofthe casing 9. The top is preferably `short from front to. rear and has arearwardly sloping portion 19 connected to a depending wall 20 andslopes down to the back 2.1 of the casing as a whole.

` The front 10 has an upper lengthwise sign frame 22 having a longwindow 23 which is provided with appropriate wording 24 applied theretoin more or less translucent manner. With this feature in mind, thedepending wall Ztl has a downward extension 25 which upon its front faceis preferably painted or treated to be light reflecting in nature, and aseries of fluorescent lamps 27 are mounted on this extension toilluminate the sign or window 23 with its Wording 24 from within, andalso to illuminate sign elements below as well. The casing is alsosubdivided behind the front 10 into a series of sign chambers 2S bypartitions 29 disposed behind the upright front frame members 11, thesepartitions serving to separate certain sign parts about to be explained.Thus, within the end screen 15 between the last partition 29 and casingend 13 which forms chainber 30 is located the mechanism for driving theactive sign parts disposed in the other chambers 28, the end chamber 30primarily containing an electric rnotor 31 for driving the mechanisminvolved, either in this chamber or directly behind it, as best seen inFigure 5.

The motor 31 is coupled at 32 to a reducing device 33 having a chainsprocket or pinion 34 on its shaft 35 connected by chain 36 with a largesprocket 37 on a gear shaft 38 supported in bearings 39, 4t) on uprightsupports 41 and 42. Upon the gear shaft 3S is mounted a large gear 43simultaneously meshing with two pinions 44 and 45 mounted on twoparallel separate shafts 46 and 47 rotatable in bearings 43, 49 and 50,51 attached to uprights 41 and 42 just mentioned. Thus far, it isevident that when mo-tor 31 is energized, it will rotate sprocket 37through chain 36 and thereby shaft 38 and its gear 43, and consequentlypinions 44 and 45 with their shafts 46 and 47 in simultaneous rotationin the same direction. Upon the front ends of these shafts are fixedbevel gears 52, 53 meshing with corresponding bevel pinions 54 on a pairof elongated top and bottom shafts S` Vand 56 rotatably mounted andextending through the partitions 29 and chambers 28 near the frontwindows 12. Upon these shafts are mounted rollers 57 yand 58, one rollerupon each shaft within each chamber V28 between each pair of partitions29.

Upon each pair of upper and lower rollers 57 and 58 is mounted a band,belt or strip of paper, more or less smooth fabric or flexible plasticsheet 59 behind each window 12, each of these belts being broughtrearwardly in a loop 60 by an idler roller 61 rotatable upon a swingingidler mounting 62 swingably suspended from a length- Wise shaft 63running through the partitions as in the case of roller shafts 55 and S6referred to. In each case, the idler roller is disposed within the loop60 of each band or belt 59 so as to take up all slack and maintain thefront length of the band or strip flat behind the window 12 at the frontof the casing. For this purpose, the idler rollers may be made more orless heavy to produce their adjusting effect largely by gravity. i: Uponeach of belts or bands 59 is printed or painted appropriate advertisingmaterial or wording indicated at 64, 65, 66, which is illuminated fromabove by fluorescent lamps 27 and visible from the front through windows12, and when the motor is energized by electric current from a switch(not shown) the rollers are rotated so as to cause the bands or belts toslowly travel upward behind each window and display the advertisingmatter thereon. The casing is preferably supported on legs 65 to disposeit at a proper level so that people passing the store or riding by invehicles, can readily see the displayed sign or device.

However, when so desired, the casing may be secured direct upon the sideor front wall of a; building, store, or supermarket, by omitting thelegs 65', and which will be mounted or secured on the building at theproper level, so that people passing the building or store displayingthe sign or device, or people riding by in automobiles, buses, etc.,will readily see the sign.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may bemodified or used without others, within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. An advertising sign device, including an elongated casing having anelongated window thereon and beneath said window a series of relativelyshorter windows disposed along the casing, a pair of parallel rollersrotatably mounted adjacent to each of the shorter windows `in the serieswith one roller above the other in each pair, a belt of flexiblematerial upon the rollers in each pair interconnecting them and carryingadvertising data and adapted to be moved into register with one of saidshorter windows, means for maintaining the belt flat behind one of saidshorter windows in each case, means for illuminating the belts to renderthe advertising data on the same visible through the shorter windowsadjacent thereto, and means for rotating the rollers and causing thebelts to travel vertically behind said shorter windows to bring variousdata into view in said windows in succession, comprising a lowerrotatable shaft common to all of the lower rollers and a similar upperparallel shaft common to all of the upper rollers, a pinion fixed uponeach shaft, a further rotatable shaft intermediate the lower and uppershafts having a gear and means for directly driving said pinions fromsaid gear, a sprocket fixed upon the further shaft, a chain pinion drivehaving a chain interconnecting the sprocket and chain pinion, and aprime mover for driving the chain pinion, said means for maintaining thebelts fiat including a series of cylindrical rollers independentlymounted to swing eccentrically adjacent to each belt to idle and take upthe slack thereof, the means for illuminating the belts including aseries of elongated lamps mounted above the upper shaft and the rollersthereon in effective position to illuminate the belts from abovesimultaneously, and the elongated window disposed above the series ofshorter windows having a caption forming a sign thereon of translucentcharacter capable of being illuminated from within by said elongatedlamps and serving to call attention visually to the advertising data ofthe belts upon the rollers beneath said elongated window.

2. An advertising sign device according to claim 1, wherein the casingis enclosed upon the top and rear thereof and has a plurality of uprightsimilar partitions dividing the casing into a series of belt chambersndividually containing an upper and a lower roller and one belt mountedthereon, with each chamber registering with one of the shorter windowsof the series, and wherein the casing top has a depending wallintermediate the front and rear which extends into the casing and at itslower edge supports the elongated lamps which illuminate the belts fromabove, and wherein the drive includes a motor and a speed reduction unitconnected thereto and having a shaft supporting the chain pinion so asto drive the latter pinion.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS862,820 Haynes Aug. 6, 1907 930,797 Rhodes et al Aug. 10, 1909 947,828Lennox Feb. 1, 1910 1,095,346 Newton May 5, 1914 1,389,177 Aimes et alAug. 30, 1921 1,598,658 Rogers Sept. 7, 1926 1,777,110 Summer Sept. 30,1930 1,788,427 Eisenberg Jan. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 681,473 FranceFeb. 3, 1930

